Brother Stephen, who had lived in the world a long time and had thought and studied and worried and read books of philosophy and theology, turned to a Benedictine monastery to find peace and there goes to work as a lay brother. At first he was happy as he had never been before; and then in his joy he built a shrine to our Lady, our Lady of the birds.

Later, when questionings and drynesses and sad distress over that great question of evil in the world tormented Brother Stephen, our Lady answers him, through nature itself, through his fellow worker Brother Joseph, and through the Father Prior.

There are profound matters for meditation in this little 68-page book, most attractively printed and illustrated by Vincent Summers. It is filled with the sacramentality of life, this story of doubting man, coming to the realization that "the universe is alive with natural and supernatural life in an intertwined symphony."

Its last pages have the refrain, "God is love, and only love can make us like unto God." "Even now we are in heaven or hell, according to the measure of our love."

[For more of Dorothy Day's writings from Commonweal, see our full collection.]